


And Then There Were Five

by Kael_Vercorian



Series: The Ghost Club [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 21:18:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12713148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kael_Vercorian/pseuds/Kael_Vercorian
Summary: Tobirama was really starting to despise this village that he had helped his brother build. This was not Hashirama’s dream, for an orphan child to be shunned and hated and forced to live on his own atsix years old.





	And Then There Were Five

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, after a year, here's the sequel to Undead Babysitter! There will probably be a part two to this one, showing more of Madara and Izuna's reactions.

Hiroshi Kagane, also known as Crane, likes to believe that he isn’t a stupid man, but this situation with the Jinchuuriki child is baffling. It had started when Naruto was just an infant, though not all his Anbu comrades had noticed. Those who did were just as confused.

Is it some odd power of the Kyuubi or maybe a Kekkei Genkai? They had noticed things floating: toys, formula bottles, dust pans, and brooms. Which, those last two? Make no sense. It was one thing for the infant to be subconsciously levitating toys and food to himself if he had such an ability, but the kid shouldn’t even know what cleaning is at that age.

Things had only gotten stranger as the kid aged. Naruto’s eyes would track something unseen, and he would talk to thin air. At first, Hiroshi thought the lonely child was just talking to himself, but Naruto actually seemed to be having _conversations_.

It wasn’t until the kid was forced to move into his own place that Hiroshi began to suspect that there was actually someone there. How, he didn’t know. Invisibility? Ghostly haunting? All he knew was that the kid couldn’t have been doing all this by himself.

Not only was Naruto willingly buying _vegetables,_ but he knew how to _budget_. What six-year-old could balance a check book? And Hiroshi hadn’t missed that things would ‘mysteriously’ fall off the shelves in the stores that had tried to overcharge Naruto, hours after the kid had left. They couldn’t prove he had anything to do with it, but people would catch onto the pattern eventually.

However, they couldn’t do anything without proof, and the kid was remarkably tight lipped about the situation. Kid would make a good ninja one day with how well he kept secrets. Well, assuming someone doesn’t kill him out of fear before then. A few of his comrades worried that it was the _Kyuubi_ Naruto was talking to.

Kagane thought they were stupid. Hokage-sama had already reassured them that the fox was still sealed tight, no possible way of communication yet. Something else was going on, and he was determined to find out what.

* * *

Tobirama was really starting to despise this village that he had helped his brother build. This was not Hashirama’s dream, for an orphan child to be shunned and hated and forced to live on his own at _six years old_. He glares at Hiruzen’s retreating back as the man disappears down the street, the words he had said to Naruto ringing in his ears.

_There’s no use asking about that. It won’t bring the dead back to life._

“I truly thought he had so much potential,” mutters Tobirama, regretful and bordering on bitter. “When did his personality become colder than mine?”

“There were definitely better ways to get out of talking about his parents than that,” agrees Mito. “Though I don’t know why he felt the need to. It wouldn’t have hurt anything for him to tell Naruto that his parents were good people and that he was _loved._ ”

“Who knows what’s going through his head? Either way, we should go comfort Naruto,” says Tobirama.

They find Naruto sitting on the living room couch, shoulders slumped but no tears yet. Tobirama can’t imagine how upsetting it must be to have such an important question harshly dismissed by a man who sometimes acts like a caring grandfather and an indifferent adult the rest of the time. Sarutobi would have a lot to answer for when they eventually reunite in the afterlife.

Now, in the past, he may not have known how to comfort a distraught child, but he’s since mentored two team of Genin and babysat for his brother’s kids and grandchild. He sits down next to Naruto, places his hand on the child’s shoulder, and doesn’t protest when Naruto presses his face against his chest as he tries to hold back tears.

“You know, Naruto, Sarutobi may not be willing to talk about them, but Mito knew your mother,” says Tobirama.

“I knew her from the time she started the Academy and in her teenage years, at least. I’d be happy to share what information I know about her with you, Naruto,” says Mito.

Naruto peeks up at her through watery eyes. “Really?” he asks hopefully.

“Really. I even have a few stories I can tell you about your father, though I only met him a few times. Your parents had tentatively started dating while I was alive,” says Mito.

“Tent-ively?” asks Naruto, confused.

“Tentatively can mean hesitantly. In this case, what I mean is that they had gone on a few dates, but weren’t sure if their relationship was going to become serious yet. They didn’t know if they were going to fall in love,” says Mito.

“Oh. What was mom like?” asks Naruto.

“Kushina was kind but fierce. She never put up with anyone bullying her, but she never hurt someone without a good reason. Such as self-dense and the protection of others. She wanted to be the Hokage to earn the respect of the village and keep her friends safe,” says Mito.

Naruto sits up straighter. “If I became Hokage, the villagers would have to respect me?”

Mito gives him a sympathetic look. “It’s the other way around, I believe.”

His expression falls.

“There are other jobs that garner respect, but have less paperwork,” says Tobirama. “Personally, I don’t think the villagers are worthy of your time, but I know how important this is to you. We’ll help you find a way to show them what a great kid you are.”

Naruto grins brightly. “Thank you, Uncle Tobi!”

“The first thing to decide will be whether to join the Shinobi Academy or remain a civilian,” says Mito.

Tobirama frowns at her, but Mito stares back impassively. Alright then. If Naruto chooses to become a civilian, she’s apparently determined to make that a reality, despite the opposition they’ll certainly face.

“Either option faces its own set of danger,” says Tobirama. “A shinobi’s life is full of battle, but at least you’ll have the power to defend yourself. A civilian has to rely on the shinobi in their village to keep them safe, both from possible invasion and wandering bandits outside the walls when they travel.”

“Um. Hmm.” Naruto swings his legs back and forth, brows scrunched as he thinks about it. “Will the shinobi really help me? People throw stuff at me, but nobody ever does anything ‘bout it, ‘sept you two.”

Mito folds her hands in her lap, pursing her lips with displeasure. “Anyone that actually follows my husband’s philosophy will protect you. Unfortunately, they seem to be in short supply these days.”

Naruto squints his eyes at her, confused.

“The Will of Fire,” murmurs Tobirama. “Protecting the next generation. My brother believed strongly that children should have a chance to _be_ children. To play and make friends. Unfortunately, not all the clans that joined our village agreed. A compromise was reached. Children would join the Academy at six and graduate at twelve during peace times. Before Konoha, children were sent out to the battle at around seven. It used to be that parents were lucky if half their children survived to adulthood.”

Naruto’s eyes widen.

“We’re not saying this to scare you, Naruto. The shinobi world is full of danger and treachery, but there are positives. Fighting back to back with someone against enemies trying to kill you, it can form a strong bond between comrades. I do not know what it will take for the civilians to come around, but shinobi tend to be less frightened of the unknown,” says Mito.

“I can make friends easier with shinobi than civil-i-ens?” guesses Naruto. At six years old, he was a clever child, but still had trouble pronouncing some of the longer words.

“I’m afraid so. It shouldn’t be the only reason you become a shinobi, but many people find the job to be worth it because of the bond between comrades,” says Mito.

“Then…I want to be a shinobi!” declares Naruto. “I’ll make lots of friends and get super strong, so I can protect them!”

Mito smiles approvingly and touches the top of his head affectionately. “A noble goal. But you know, Naruto, _true_ friends will want to protect you too.”

“Loyalty is important for a successful friendship,” says Tobirama. “I know you’re eager to make friends, but don’t allow yourself to be fooled by someone who wants to use you. There are still some good shinobi left in this village. We’ll help you find real comrades.”

Naruto beams and throws his arms around Tobirama. “You’re the best uncle in the world!”

Tobirama smiles softly, charmed by Naruto’s open affection. “And you’re the best nephew a man could ask for.”

Mito politely waits a moment for them to hug out their emotions before interrupting. “I do believe it’s time to start lunch. One of the fundamentals of shinobi life is good nutrition.”

Naruto blinks.

Mito pauses to reconsider her words. “You need to eat the right mix of foods to be healthy. Each food has a different set of nutrients and vitamins, things your body uses to fix itself. New blood, skin, and hair. Healing cuts and broken bones. If you’re low on a certain nutrient, it can cause health problems.”

Naruto’s mouth forms a silent ‘o’. “That’s why you don’t let me eat only ramen?”

“Exactly. I know you have a very strong positive memory associated with the food, due to Teuchi-san being one of the few living humans to show you true kindness, but I’m sure even he doesn’t eat only ramen. It’s fine to have the food a few times a week, but noodles don’t provide that many nutrients.” Mito clicks her tongue disapprovingly and continues, “And it didn’t help that Sarutobi bought you dozens of instant noodles and microwave soups. What that man is thinking, I’ll never know. He can’t spend an hour a week teaching you how to sauté vegetables?”

Tobirama ushers them both into the kitchen before Naruto can respond. The kid still finds it uncomfortable whenever they say something slightly negative about his pseudo-grandfather. He still isn’t old enough to understand just how badly Sarutobi is failing him.

“Come on. Let’s make something simple today. Then we can head out to one of the empty training fields and start teaching you the basics,” says Tobirama.

They talk Naruto through the process of how to use the stove and what to do to keep things from sticking. Afterwards, Tobirama scouts ahead while Naruto eats, looking for where they can train. He isn’t willing to risk someone stumbling upon Naruto talking to thin air and accusing him of madness.

It isn’t easy, of course, with the Anbu guards always trailing along behind him. But they’re not always within earshot, and Naruto is getting better at whispering. He knows it’s not a permanent solution. The Anbu are getting suspicious. Though, surprisingly, their theories lean more towards it being some new type of Kekkai Genkai, rather than the Kyuubi’s influence. Which is probably because Jiraiya checked Naruto’s seal a few years ago and found everything to be in order.

There’s also their skepticism that the Kyuubi would have any interest in cleaning. Of course, they don’t think a child should have any interest in sweeping the floor either, so they don’t know what to believe.

And that leads them to their current position, Tobirama sitting down in the middle of the clearing, Naruto’s back to his closest Anbu guard. The one in the front of him is paying more attention to the surrounding area, reducing the risk of him noticing Naruto’s lips move.

“So, what are we doing?” whispers Naruto.

“Today I’m going to teach you some simple katas, which are taijutsu moves,” explains Tobirama. “Knowing these moves by heart will make you a better fighter. But first, we have to stretch. If your muscles aren’t flexible enough, they could lock up during a fight and cause you injury.”

Then Tobirama demonstrates one of the leg stretches with Naruto sitting down to copy him.

“The muscles can ache sometimes when you’re stretching, but it shouldn’t hurt. If you start to feel pain, then you’re stretching too far,” says Tobirama.

Naruto just barely nods his head to show that he’s understood. It had taken them a while to work out a system where Naruto could communicate with them in public. Luckily, Naruto hadn’t really been expected to leave the orphanage when he was younger, so they’ve had plenty of time to practice indoors.

“Okay. And you remember how we took a walk past the Academy grounds a week ago? That was in case you decided to become a shinobi. If anyone asks where you learned stretches and katas, you can say you saw them practicing,” says Tobirama.

Naruto is careful not to move his head around too noticeably as he watches Tobirama. He even puts his hand on his chin and adopts a thoughtful look as though he's trying to remember something. Clever child. He catches on quickly.

Tobirama shows him only a handful of katas that day, an amount that a normal child could be expected to remember from a demonstration. It's not his intention to make Naruto come off as a genius. He's seen what the village does to their most talented, and he'll be damned if he lets that fate befall Naruto.

* * *

Later that night, as he and Mito are debating which story to tell Naruto before bedtime, the child interrupts their discussion to ask, "Why am I the only one who can see you and Aunt Mito? Does it have anything to do with why the villagers hate me?"

Mito and Tobirama abruptly fall silent, exchanging awkward glances.

"Well," Mito says slowly. "It probably doesn't? You're not the first person to have the....thing that causes the village's hatred, although it was kept a better secret in their case. The two people before you couldn't see ghosts."

Naruto's mouth drops open. "There were people before me?" Then he blinks. "What thing?"

Tobirama clears his throat. "We'll get to that in a minute." Then to Mito, "Has this ever happened to someone as an infant? And what about the way it happened? He saw the Shinigami on the day of his birth. That's a rare enough occurrence for an adult, let alone a child. Who knows what kind of impact that could have?"

Mito hums thoughtfully. "Perhaps the two events together while he was so young caused this. His chakra coils _and_ his mind were still developing at the time."

Naruto huffs. "Am I ever going to get an exa-expla...."

"Explanation?" guesses Tobirama.

"Yeah, that. Nobody wants to tell me anything!"

"Mito and I want to tell you, Naruto. We just worry about your reaction," says Tobirama.

"The knowledge will be a burden upon you," says Mito. "And you won't be able to let anyone know that you know. It's illegal for anyone to tell you, and you can't say that ghosts told you the secret."

"Because they'll think I'm seeing things and lock me up," says Naruto, remembering their explanation for the secrecy.

"Exactly. In light of that, do you think you're ready to know?" asks MIto.

Naruto nods his head solemnly. "It's worse not knowing why they hate me."

Mito sighs softly. "Very well then. You are aware of the attack that occurred six years ago? The nine-tailed fox suddenly appeared in the village."

"Yeah?" says Naruto, confused.

"The official story is that it was killed," says Tobirama, "but the tailed beasts are made of chakra. They can't be killed."

"Instead, it was sealed into a vessel," says Mito. "A very advanced seal that even skilled shinobi have trouble understanding. Civilians have no comprehension of the sealing arts."

"....I don't know what seals are either," admits Naruto.

Tobirama gives him the simplest explanation that he can. They can't demonstrate storage scrolls without chakra-infused ink, and Naruto doesn't currently have _any_ control over his chakra. However, Naruto seems to understand the concept well enough by the time they're through.

"So the Kyuubi is in a scroll?" asks Naruto.

"No, not a scroll. That would be too fragile to hold him. And there are complications with trying to seal living creatures inside scrolls. The most effective thing to seal bijuu into are....humans," says Tobirama.

Naruto's eyes widen. "Me?" he asks shakily.

"The Fourth Hokage wanted you to be seen as a hero. Those were his dying words to Sarutobi," says Tobirama. "To his credit, he did have an idea of how people would react and tried to keep everything a secret, but there were too many shinobi nearby at the time for that to work."

"Instead, he made it illegal for them to talk about it," says Mito. "He hoped the next generation would give you a chance if their parents couldn't tell them the reason for their hatred."

"But...why do they hate me?" Naruto asks, bewildered. "It's the fox who attacked the village. You just said that scrolls don't become the things that are sealed in them." Naruto pauses. "You said that _very strongly_. That was so I wouldn't freak out, right?"

"Mm-hmm. Civilians are idiots," says Tobirama bluntly. "They get an idea into their heads that frighten them and it's very difficult to change their minds."

"They don't understand how Minato's seal works and so many of them are convinced that you're the Kyuubi trapped in a human body. They're _wrong_ ," says Mito firmly.

"You're completely human," adds Tobirama.

"That doesn't make me feel better," says Naruto softly, blinking slowly as his eyes tear up. "At least if I was the fox, they'd have a reason to hate me. How am I gonna make friends if they all refuse to see me as me?"

Tobirama reaches the bed a moment before Mito, scooping Naruto up into his arms. It pains him to see this child he's starting to think of as his own so distraught. Why do humans have such inherent cruelty?

"It won't always be like this, Naruto," Mito says gently.

"We'll figure something out," promises Tobirama. "The three of us together, we'll find a way to get you the recognition you deserve."

Naruto slowly calm down as they hold him, and eventually, his mouth opens in a wide yawn. His eyes flutter shut as he slumps against Tobirama, breath evening out as he falls asleep. Tobirama carefully sets him down and covers him with a blanket, then quietly exits the room with Mito.

"It's starting to feel like I never really knew my students at all," says Tobirama once they've reached the living room. "Or anyone else, for that matter. When I see the way they treat Naruto, I can't help but think that maybe Madara was right to leave the village."

"Do you really believe that?" asks Mito, startled.

Tobirama hesitates. "I don't know. Perhaps if I could talk to him about his reasons for leaving, it would help. Or I would find out that my initial assumption was correct. He was never entirely sane after Izuna died."

There's a displacement of air behind him, and Tobirama whirls around just as the ghosts of Madara and Izuna pop into the room.

"What the....where are we?" asks Izuna, bewildered. "Wasn't I dead?"

"You still technically are," Tobirama points out. "We're ghosts. And don't yell," he adds as Madara's mouth starts to open. "The only one who can see and hear is us is the kid in the other room, and he just fell asleep."

For a moment, it looks like Madara is going to yell anyways, staring at Tobirama with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. But eventually, he concedes the point with a nod and keeps his voice lowered. "Fine then, but how are we here, Senju? What did you _do_?"

"This is not my fault," protests Tobirama. "....Or if it is, I don't remember doing it. I appeared as a ghost on the day of that kid's, Naruto's, birth. Mito appeared later. Seeing as how Naruto is the only living thing we can touch, this probably has something to do with him, but we haven't figured out how or why yet."

Izuna stares a moment. "I think that's the longest I've ever heard you speak."

"You haven't heard him ranting about one of his experiments," mutters Madara darkly.

Tobirama bristles. "Seeing as how I was talking to Hashirama, you could have left the room at any time, Uchiha."

"I think we've gotten off topic," interjects Mito before they can start bickering. "Why don't we head outside to discuss this? Naruto needs his rest. He started training today and is understandably exhausted."

Madara huffs. "Fine."

Tobirama shares an amused glance with Mito when the two brothers head for the door, Izuna's hand sliding through the doorknob.

"What the heck?" mutters Izuna.

"It takes concentration to hold onto anything," says Tobirama. "And touching anyone but Naruto is impossible. Most of the time, Mito and I just go through the walls."

"Not to mention how suspicious it would be for a door to open by itself," says Mito pointedly. She leads the way outside and stops in front of the apartment building. "Here will do. I doubt Naruto will hear your yelling from here."

Izuna snorts. "She certainly knows your temper well, anija. What happened after I died?"

Tobirama gives as brief a summary as he can. The final fight with the Uchiha clan, the founding of the village, and Madara's eventual defection and death.

"Wait a second," interrupts Izuna, turning to look at Madara with disbelief. "You felt strongly enough about this village idea to build it even after I was killed, but not enough to stay when things got tense?"

Madara flinches back like he's been slapped, giving Izuna a faintly betrayed expression. "The clan was turning against me! Taking the side of the Senju against their own clan head."

"You were being paranoid," says Tobirama, exasperated. "By the time you left, most of our clans' hated for each other had simmered down to wary caution. There were a few warmongers in both clans, but most of the next generation was open to peace."

"The Senjus were amassing power in the village. We had an equal part in creating Konoha, so why not equal representation in the Government?" argues Madara.

Tobirama squints at him skeptically. "Because not as many of them were good at paperwork?" he asks rhetorically, then hastily cuts off whatever Madara is going to say next. "I don't understand your viewpoint. You had an administrative role like I did. Hashirama became the Hokage due to popular vote. Some of _your_ clan even voted for him. It's hardly the Senju's fault that you aren't as charismatic. If you wanted the position so badly, you should have been nicer."

"Me? You're hardly any better, and yet you became the Second Hokage. And don't think that I've forgotten that you appointed your student as the third! What happened to the popular vote then?!"

"I was chosen as second due to my large contribution to the village's organizational structure. The Academy, Anbu system, and Chunin Exams. If you had stayed and continued to help the village, you could have been a candidate too!" snaps Tobirama. He takes a calming breath. "And although you have a point about Sarutobi, I was about to be killed during a war. There wasn't time for an election with the enemy breathing down our necks, and Sarutobi was already well liked among the general shinobi population."

As Madara and Tobirama continue to bicker, Izuna leans towards Mito to whisper, "Do they always argue so heatedly?"

"Oh no, this is rather mild for them. I think death has mellowed your brother out a bit. There's about twenty-five percent less shouting."

Izuna side-eyes her at the cheery tone. Crazy sense of humor and red hair. Definitely an Uzumaki.

"I take it this is common then?" he asks.

"Yes. I don't think I can recall a day where Tobirama and Madara didn't butt heads. They're both stubborn individuals. Since I don't foresee them stopping any time soon, shall I give you a tour of the village?"

Izuna hesitates a moment, looking back at Madara. "Maybe if we don't go far? I don't want him to freak out if he can't find me."

"The dead can sense the dead," says Mito, then leaps for the nearest rooftop.

Izuna follows her reluctantly, a bit vexed when Madara doesn't even notice his departure. Wasn't he irritated with the Senju because of his death? You'd think he would pay more attention to his sort-of-revived brother.

All his ire vanishes in an instant when he gets his first real look at the village. It was huge! And even this late at night, there were still dozens of people bustling about the village, civilians and shinobi mingling together without hesitation.

"Is it always this peaceful?" asks Izuna.

"...Most of the time, it is. There have been three wars between the shinobi villages since Konoha was founded, and the Kyuubi destroyed quite a few buildings six years ago. Many shinobi lost their lives that day, and their loved ones unfortunately take their grief and anger out on the newest jinchuuriki."

Then at Izuna's obvious puzzlement, she explains what a jinchuuriki is, who Konoha's have been, and the general treatment of them when their identity is known.

"Is that why you're so protective of the kid? He doesn't have the benefit of anonymity that you had," says Izuna.

"Yes. The villagers, especially the civilians, treat him deplorably. Tobirama believes that he was sent here as a ghost to help Naruto."

Izuna shakes his head in mild disbelief. "Sent by who?"

"The gods? A God? We don't know, but who other than a deity could bring someone back as a ghost and tie our existence to one person?" asks Mito.

Izuna crosses his arms and gives her his best deadpan stare. "Don't think I haven't heard the rumors of Uzumaki being able to summon the Shinigami. Even if it wasn't Tobirama that did this, it still could have been some other shinobi."

"I was not here when Naruto was born, but I suppose it's possible Tobirama could have missed something," says Mito thoughtfully. "Perhaps Minato did more than seal the Kyuubi into his son, or Kushina. She was an Uzumaki and obviously shared clan knowledge with her husband."

With nothing more concrete to go on, they set the discussion aside for the moment and resume their tour. It's not until the sun rises that they return to Naruto's apartment, finding Madara sulking on the couch while Tobirama prepares breakfast.

"Anija? You alright?" asks Izuna, frowning between the two of them.

Madara sits up straighter. "I'm fine, Izuna. Just had a few...unpleasant realizations. Did you enjoy looking around?"

"It was alright. Can ghosts eat?" asks Izuna, catching scent of the food.

Mito's lips turn down in what she refuses to call a pout. "No. We've tried...many times. Our teeth can't grip the food, but we don't feel hunger. Or exhaustion."

"It's still possible to relax into a light doze," adds Tobirama, "but we don't dream."

"Well, that sucks," says Izuna. He flops down onto the couch beside Madara. "I guess you're cooking for the kid then? He doesn't have a caretaker to do that?"

Tobirama exhales sharply. "No. They dumped him into an apartment by himself a few months ago without _any_ instruction on how to manage a household. There are many in this village that are only still alive because I can't touch them. Especially Sarutobi and Danzo."

Madara looks briefly startled before his expression switches back to sullen.

“They have a lot to answer for,” agrees Mito. “But a full explanation will have to wait until tonight. I can hear Naruto waking up.”

Just then, Naruto wanders into the living room, yawning widely with his eyes closed and a plush leopard clutched to his chest. He stops in his tracks when he notices their new guests, eyes going wide.

“Er, Hello,” says Izuna, waving awkwardly at the child.

Naruto’s eyes get impossibly wider as he turns to Tobirama. “There are more of you! How did that happen?”

“Well…” Tobirama stops, mulls it over. “It’s apparently a bad idea for me to say the name of dead people. It seems to summon them.”

“Except for Kushina and Minato,” observes Mito.

Tobirama scowls. Those two he wants even less to do with than Madara and Izuna. Which could actually explain why they’ve never appeared. He can’t trust that they’ll have Naruto’s best interests at heart. Although Kushina had not specifically done something to Naruto, she had married Minato, a man that was willing to turn his son into a jinchuuriki for an ungrateful village and die in the process. Minato had turned his son into a weapon rather than seal the bijuu into Kushina to let the two die together, and had the audacity to do it in a way that would kill him too.

“Except for them,” agrees Tobirama, trying not to sound darkly pleased. He probably doesn’t entirely succeed with the way Naruto is frowning at him curiously. Time to change the subject. “I made you breakfast. Eat it before it goes cold. We’re going to visit the Hokage when you’re done.”

Naruto brightens up. “To ask him to let me join the Academy!”

Tobirama hums an affirmative and helps Naruto up into his chair. He ignores their guests in favor of cleaning up while Naruto eats, letting Mito answer whatever questions they may have. It’s best if he doesn’t interact with them for now. Naruto doesn’t need to see them fighting.

Well, he doesn’t need to see them fighting on the first day. It’s inevitable that he and Madara will start screaming at each other at some point. Madara has poor self-control when he’s angry, and Tobirama finds it automatic now to fling back scathing comments when he’s being yelled at.

It’s a problem they’ll need to solve if they can’t get the Uchiha back into the afterlife. He doesn’t want to constantly be setting a bad example for Naruto. Not to mention, he’s heard it can be stressful for children when the adults in their lives are always fighting. He won’t turn into another source of grief and misery for Naruto. He just won’t.

With that in mind, he does his best to pretend that Madara and Izuna don’t exist on their way to the Hokage tower, though it doesn’t stop him from noticing how appalled the two of them are at the way the civilians act towards Naruto. Perhaps it won’t be _completely_ impossible to get along with them. For short periods of time.

 


End file.
